You know, I think the fact that they don't change a hell of a lot is part of the reason I enjoyed the film so much. Cera and Dennings do have great chemistry, and the flow of the film is superb. The characters are so charmingly young - they have life ahead of them and right now just want to find their drunk friend (Ari Graynor made me laugh my ass off - the turkey sandwich scene is an inspired bit of comedy) and find this really cool band. The side characters - trying to find their bandname, generally carousing around town - just wonderful. I could've spent another hour and a half with these characters and not been bored at all. This might have been the first film with a hipster soundtrack that didn't piss me off (see Garden State for offender number one, Juno for one that survives despite it, and The Wackness that had a soundtrack that basically convinced me not to watch the movie).

Behavourial beauties? How about the way Norah looks at Nick when he's fumbling in the studio. Or maybe how Garynor's character lays comfortably Norah's lap - just years of friendship are present in that scene. I love how Sollett nails the voice of these characters (that deadpan-sincere-irony) without condescending to the characters... or to the voice, for that matter.

Apatow has done nothing that comes close to the effervescent delight of this film, though in fairness, I didn't sit through all of Superbad. I pretty much loved it.

I think the problem with 'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist' is that it doesn't decide if it wants to Apatow or Smith or Anderson and ultimately it decides to find out in post what it is and the answer is...a soundtrack. It's just a hipster emo-soundtrack that does all the heavy-lifting which is really sad because there's something incredibly charming in this movie. There are so many smart choices made from the onset and so many strong narrative choices innate in (I presume) the source material. The two gay actors in Nick's band are wonderful characters who are gay, occupy the same frame, and don't date. New York is beautifully on display. And the setup/payoff of finding Caroline, getting to Fluffy, and unresolved issues with exes has all the makings of a generational find an genuinely engaging youthful romantic comedy.

If only it wasn't boring as fuck, and at some 80-odd minutes, that's astonishing. I don't know if most of Peter Sollett's behavioral beauties were cut for running time but this movie shows up and erases from memory immediately. The first issue to be dealt with is that none of the characters change. At the beginning of the movie, Nick is a sad emo-puppy and Norah is a JAP. They call each other out on it, ignore it, and eventually get together (OH SHIT! SPOILERS!). Why don't they change from each other in some capacity? They just learn that their exes suck and they're perfectly fine: THEY'RE NOT! THEY KINDA SUCK! Beyond that, Peter Sollett elicits two things from them: mopey gazes and some wonderful nonsense conversations. I really wish they had time to delve into Nick and Norah when they're not hampered by a barely existent script and let them interact and have fun.

(QUICK NOTE: When I left the theater, the concession clerk asked me if I liked it. I said a little but not really. He asked if it was just two people talking, and I realized how much I would've preferred that.)

There is something there between Cera and Dunning but it's not present on the screen. It's implied. The other performances work better, especially Ari Graynor who does an inspired take on the Drunk Friend persona. Had I not already seen quite a few of this particular caricature in the past, I might be more taken but she can't be blamed. What is more infuriating are the nonsensical cameos that contribute all-but nothing. Seth Meyers works far better than Andy Samberg but that's not saying much. The movie is wonderfully edited because what appears to be a rather disjointed, unruly production does seem sure-footed for the duration in terms of pacing if not reflection. And the costume design is great.

'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist' works on the basis of being a charming diversion from the dreck of dumber teen films but not as A) a strong piece of filmmaking, or B) as strong a piece of filmmaking as it so CLEARLY comes short of being.

"If you are marching with white nationalists, you are by definition not a very nice person. If Malala Yousafzai had taken part in that rally, you'd have to say 'Okay, I guess Malala sucks now.'" ~ John Oliver

It's not proof the country is filled with idiots. Remember that we're in an economic recession and the economy is tanking. People don't want to feel down in the dump, so they tend to flock towards more sensational type of films. But, the luster, I think, is wearing off the Judd Apatow-styled films as several released this year have been box office disappointments comparatively.

Wesley Lovell

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin

Penelope wrote:Sad, isn't it. Final proof that my artistic and cultural tastes are completely and utterly different than the rest of the country. I'm out of step.

right there with you, penelope.

EAGLE EYE being a hit i understand, even if i would never contribute a cent. BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA making $30 million is just terrifying. the only kids films to earn that kind of money should be made by pixar. i bet just as many teens went to that piece of doggie poo as NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST. :angry:

i would just die if the oscars nominated "screw the man" for an oscar. if they can give the oscar to a song called "it's hard out here for a pimp" they can certainly give us this nomination to apologize for that debacle.

further proof this country is filled with idiots. i sometimes fantasize about being the movie dictator. i and i alone would have the power to decide what movies could be released in theatres. i know i should be imagining world peace, but all i can think about is how many bad films i would keep from every seeing the light of day.

hopefully the film finds greater success on dvd at many a late night viewings on college campuses, like FIGHT CLUB or THE BIG LEBOWSKI.

"When it comes to the subject of torture, I trust a woman who was married to James Cameron for three years."-- Amy Poehler in praise of Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow

While it isn't the exquisite experience that Sollett's Raising Victor Vargas is, the warmth, joy and overall generosity of spirit in Nick and Norah is so infectious that can't help but love the movie; thanks to Sollett's pitch-perfect approach, and the marvelous chemistry of the two leads, the movie effortlessly glides over some dubious elements--it's a fantasia of young love, but smart and sassy.

The Academy will probably totally ignore the film, but, honestly, it deserves to be remembered, at least for consideration, in 3 categories: just for kicks, I'd love for "Screw the Man" to be nominated for Best Original Song, if only to see Rafi Gavron rip his shirt off on the stage of the Kodak Theater; Myron Kerstein should be a valid contender for Best Editing--not only does the film move along with an efficient, effective rhythm, individual scenes, on their own, are textbook examples of how to cut a comedy of this pedigree for prime effect (Kerstein did a similarly marvelous job with In Good Company); and Ari Graynor is so fearlessly, scene-stealingly funny as the drunk friend, she should be near the top of the list for Supporting Actress--this is what the category exists for, after all, and I'd much rather see her be recognized for this delightful film than for Penelope Cruz to be nommed for the truly dreadful Woody Allen flick.

"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston

"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster

Okri wrote:Sollett and Cera are reason enough for me. I haven't seen Dennings in anything, but you used the word "joyous" and that describes her in the trailer. Looking forward to it.

Dennings played Catherine Keener's daughter in The 40 Year-Old Virgin and was one of the geeky sorority sisters in The House Bunny.

I discovered Kat Dennings in Charlie Bartlett, in which she plays the daughter of high school principal Robert Downey, Jr. and the girlfriend of the rebellious title character played by Anton Yelchin.

The film itself is a little charmer and another reason why Downey is one of this year's standout actors in a role that parodies his own well documented substance abuse. Both Yelchin and Dennigns are excellent, as is Hope Davis as Yelchin's mother. The film has rightfully been compared to Harold and Maude.

Los Angeles is PAPERED with billboards for 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua'. I know that Obama is favored to win against McCain, but I don't know if we're smart enough to all go to see 'Nick and Nora' over the toxic likes of 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua'.

I can't wait. I love Peter Sollett and, although he is nearing his expiration date, Michael Cera looks charming in it.

"If you are marching with white nationalists, you are by definition not a very nice person. If Malala Yousafzai had taken part in that rally, you'd have to say 'Okay, I guess Malala sucks now.'" ~ John Oliver

Okri wrote:Sollett and Cera are reason enough for me. I haven't seen Dennings in anything, but you used the word "joyous" and that describes her in the trailer. Looking forward to it.

Dennings played Catherine Keener's daughter in The 40 Year-Old Virgin and was one of the geeky sorority sisters in The House Bunny.

I don't know, rolo: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is the only big opener this weekend, aside from Beverly Hills Chihauhau; I would imagine Cera's fanbase and the good reviews will make it the weekend's #1, or at least #2, attraction.

"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston

"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster